Aspects of this disclosure are directed to printed circuit board assemblies, and in particular, manufacturing a storage device composed of multiple printed circuit boards.
Various challenges exist with regard to manufacturing and assembling printed circuit board assembly (PCBA)-based storage devices that include flexible or movable connections, especially with regard to speed and cost of assembly. Flexible connections may connect multiple storage device printed circuit boards (PCBs) or PCB surfaces, for example using a flexible cable. PCBs, as used herein, may be non-flexible or substantially rigid. One typical example of a storage device is a memory-based storage device, such as a solid state drive (SSD). SSDs may use non-volatile memory, such as NAND-based flash memory. Other examples of SSDs may utilize volatile random-access memory. Existing storage devices that use a flexible connection between multiple rigid PCB surfaces typically lack features to hold the boards in a fixed orientation prior to final assembly of a PCBA and installation of the PCBA into a housing.
Handling of a multiple-board, flexibly-connected PCBA during testing (e.g., by a technician or an appropriate machine) or assembly can be awkward and unpredictable due to free-moving parts and connections. For example, folding and placement of the PCBA boards during final assembly into the housing (e.g., a protective drive case) or the application of conductive/inductive dispensed thermal interface materials (TIM) can be inefficient due to undesired movement among parts. As a result, imprecision caused by various free-moving surfaces of the PCBA makes automated assembly or application of dispensed TIM challenging. As described herein, various methods and structures are desired to alleviate one or more of these problems.